- What started as a weekend treasure hunt through the local thrift store has become a full time job for Erin and Mitchell Miletic, from Melbourne, Vic.
- Leaving their day jobs to rescue retro items from the trash, the pair rummage through 20 – 25 thrift stores every day.
- Reuniting nostalgic items with their new owners around the country, now they’re paying their bills with trash!
Here Erin tells her story in her own words
Rummaging through a toy basket, I pulled out a Barbie from the ’90s – and was taken back to my childhood.
Back then, my sister Anthea and I used to play with dolls just like it.
I was in an op shop, looking for bargains, after being introduced to their endless possibilities by my husband, Mitchell, 28.
We’d met on Tinder in 2016, after I’d moved to Melbourne to audition for musicals, armed with my musical theatre degree.
‘I want to live in the past.’
After hitting it off at a bar, we became inseparable and I soon learned Mitchell, who worked in entertainment, bought and sold retro video games for a profit.
He had a passion for treasure hunting at charity shops, and began dragging me along with him.
Having only been to an op shop a handful of times with my girlfriends, it was a visit with Mitchell that opened my eyes to the treasures inside.
From a small town, Mitchell’s family worked hard and often went op shopping for work boots.
Mitchell had found it a bit embarrassing, but then he’d stumbled across the games.
Showing me the ropes, we dug to the bottom of all the baskets and scoured every shelf for hidden gems.
Finding items from my childhood unlocked long-forgotten memories.
‘I want to live in the past!’ I exclaimed to Mitchell, who was playing with an action figure himself.
‘I’ve always wanted to be my own boss.’
When the pandemic was in full swing, plays and musicals were cancelled, so I worked at a performing arts school, but felt frustrated at not being on stage.
But seeing Mitchell radiating happiness after a long day treasure hunting brought me joy – and even paid the bills!
Then Mitchell had an idea.
‘Why don’t we bite the bullet and work together?’ he suggested.
I really like that idea! I thought.
‘I’ve always wanted to be my own boss!’ I smiled.
And just like that, Retro Rescuers was born.
Now I wake up every morning feeling lucky to spend all day with my best friend. It doesn’t really feel like work when you spend the time laughing and playing with toys!
I didn’t know that dust collector was worth a pretty penny!’
Waking up bright and early, we pick an area within a two-hour drive.
Mapping out between 20 to 25 second-hand stores, we leave no stone unturned.
We also like to venture to local markets, garage sales and the odd private sale.
It’s not every day you get to rummage through an old lady’s wardrobe!
We once found an AC/DC band shirt from the ’80s in a man’s closet after he moved into a nursing home and his wife had a private sale.
‘We’ll give you $300 for that shirt,’ Mitchell told her.
‘I didn’t know that dust collector was worth a pretty penny!’ she said, stunned.
Going to an op shop is like stepping into a time machine and going down memory lane.
Looking for everything and anything, our specialties are vintage T-shirts, video games and ’80s and ’90s homewares.
‘I can’t believe these are still around, I had one on my bed growing up.’
The items with the best value are usually the ones you can’t find online.
Sharing our discoveries on social media, we quickly gained a following on Instagram as @retro.rescuers.
I forgot all about them! a fan commented on a Mighty Ducks action figure collection.
This was my favourite toy of all time, another said about a pre-loved Agro toy.
When we’re not hunting, we’re scrubbing things up ready to be rehomed. Mitchell takes product photos, while I post them to our website.
Reconnecting someone with an item from their childhood is half the fun. And it’s no surprise to us that retro is making a comeback.
Everyone we meet wishes they could go back to a carefree time in their life and, as nostalgia dealers, we make that happen.
Putting a Barbie quilt cover on our website, it sold within a couple of days.
I can’t believe these are still around, I had one on my bed growing up, the buyer said.
Coming across a vintage Midnight Oil concert tee weeks later, I knew the right person would love it.
I was at that show, I can’t wait to wear this! the man who snapped it up said.
Thrifting, as op-shopping is also called, makes our days brighter, but we’re also helping make the planet a little lighter!
Looking into fast fashion, we learned the industry is the second largest polluter after the oil industry.
Alarmingly, 23 kilograms of clothing per person ends up in Aussie landfill each year.
When made with good quality materials, clothing could last a lifetime.
Now, we share our thrifting tips with our followers. The trick to knowing if a garment is vintage is in the details.
Looking at the sleeves on a shirt, single stitching is a good sign it was made in the ’80s or ’90s.
And it’s a safe bet that anything retro won’t have ‘retro’ written on the tag!
But the best place to start your treasure hunt is in your family home.
Anything stored away and forgotten about over the years is worth something – vintage band shirts, comic books, old consoles and video games could be gold!
Looking back, quitting our jobs, and taking the leap turned out to be the best adventure of our lives.
It’s true what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
